Abstract: In the context of the occurrence of infectious diseases in livestock and the increasing demand for animal products in the Asian region, it is necessary to establish information management systems for animal production and prevention of epidemics. In this study, we propose a next-generation information management system of animal production that utilizes information and communication technology such as RFID, cloud systems, and mobile communication network. Also, we conducted operational test of the information system by using goat as a model for the target animal in order to evaluate the requirements for the dissemination of the system and the remaining issues.

With both the background of the recent year’s occurrence of foot and mouth disease (FMD) and BSE, and the increasing demand for livestock products in the Asian region, it is necessary to establish an information management system for animal production and prevention of epidemics. Since the outbreak of BSE, Asian countries mainly promote the implementation of ear tag for its livestock traceability systems as an indicator of identification of the individual animals. These systems focus on BSE, and also focus on the movement management of cattle. With the background of these in mind, the information management system which manages information on animal production and prevention of epidemics is in great demand.

The systems, established after the occurrence of BSE in Asian region, only focus on how to control the infection of BSE and the systems primarily focus on cows as its target animals.

Australia and Canada are using RFID for the identification of cows. In case of Australia, the systems adopt the method of placing the capsulated RFID in cows’ stomachs.

Assuming the movement of livestock in the region, the livestock passport system has been introduced in the EU. The examples of the attributes the system manages include the coat colour, breed information, etc. and these attributes are tied to the identification number of the ear tag of the animals.

National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS) is a cattle traceability system in Australia. This scheme was made mandatory in 2005. The development of NLIS is based on Property Identification Code (PIC). The systems’ characteristics include the utilization of an electronic label as an identifier for animal identification. The label is composed from the capsule in the rumen and ear tag with an embedded microchip.

The implementation of the traceability system for each nation is strictly regulated and enforced by the national law. The system regulation is designed specifically for the management of the movement of livestock. However, the consumers in EU demand the disclosure of the information not only on the movement of animals, but also on the feeding (diet and medication of animals.)

The effort for the disclosure of the correct information on the animal production in associated with the NLIS to consumers has been made in Australia. This project is called the FARMA project [1]. FARMA project is intended to manage the information (i.e. feeding, veterinary medicine, etc.) collectively. The FARMA project is advanced, leading ICT project in agricultural sector.

In Asian countries, in particular in Southeast Asia, the demand for animal products is increasing due to its population growth and its economical development. Nevertheless, the development of a traceability system to sustain the safety of animal products is insufficient in these regions. In fact, the media reported the occurrence of epidemics of FMD in South Korea. In order to prevent such epidemics, the importance of quarantine in the border is increasing. Also, it is necessary to establish the animal quarantine system that covers the entire Asian region.

It is also expected that logistics of animal and food in Asia will be increase, due to the realization of the Asian Highway vision. In the near future, it is expected that the volume of the imports and the consumption of agricultural products in the Asian region will increase drastically. Instead of the projection stated above, the implementation of traceability systems in Asian region is not matured yet. The reason of immaturity might include cultural and religious factors.

The following two objectives are the purposes of study.

To propose the next generation information management system for animal production, tailored for Asian region.

To argue the requirement of new system, building to test for dairy goat farmers.